Chapter 1: The Divine Command After Tawhid
Ayats in the Quran Regarding the Importance of Respecting Parents:
Surah Al-Isra (17) Ayats 23-25:
Translation of Ayats 23-25:
- For your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And honour your parents. If one or both of them reach old age in your care, never say to them even ‘ugh,’ nor yell at them. Rather, address them respectfully.
- And be humble with them out of mercy, and pray, “My Lord! Be merciful to them as they raised me when I was young.”
- Your Lord knows best what is within yourselves. If you are righteous, He is certainly All-Forgiving to those who constantly turn to Him. (Quran, 17:23-25)
Explanation of Ayats 23-25:
- ‘Never say to them even ‘ugh’ – This means: Don’t let them hear an evil word, even ‘ugh’ which is the lightest form of an evil word.
- ‘Address them respectfully’– means: say nice, good words to them and have the best manners.
- ‘And be humble with them out of mercy’ – referring to your actions, to make them humble and modest.
- Allah SWT has ordered the believers to be righteous towards our parents.
- Allah also ordered that you should not let your parents hear an evil word.
- The Quran used the word ‘ugh’ or ‘uff’ to describe the slightest form of a bad word.
- Instead, our parents should be addressed with honour, soft words and good conduct in our actions towards them.
- Allah then explains how He is the Most-Forgiving to those who are obedient and who do good.
Surah An-Nisa (4) Ayat 36:
Translation of Ayat 36:
- Worship Allah, and join none with Him, and do good to parents. (Quran, 4:36)
Surah Baqarah (2) Ayat 83:
Translation of Ayat 83:
- And remember when We took a covenant from the children of Israel (saying): Worship none but Allah (alone) and be dutiful and good to parents. (Quran, 2:83)
Surah Baqarah (2) Ayat 215:
Translation of Ayat 215:
- They ask you (O Muhammad), what they should spend. Say: Whatever you spend of good must be for the parents, relatives, orphans, the poor who beg and the wayfarer. Whatever you do of good deeds, truly Allah knows of them well. (Quran, 2:215)
Explanation of Ayat 215:
- In this Ayat, Allah SWT puts the parents first, before the relatives, orphans, the poor and the wayfarers in regards to giving voluntary charity.
Hadith on Respecting Parents:
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Three supplications are answered without a doubt: the supplication of an oppressed person, the supplication of a traveller and the supplication of a parent over his child. (Tirmidhi)
Abu Hurayrah also narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: May his nose be rubbed in dust, may his nose be rubbed in dust, may his nose be rubbed in dust (may he be humiliated) who found his parents, one or both of them, approaching old age, but did not enter Paradise (by serving them). (Muslim)
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-A’as reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: From the major sins is a man who reviles his parents. They said: O Messenger of Allah, how does the man revile his parents? He (the Prophet) replied: Yes, he curses his (another man’s) father, so the man cursed his father back and he curses his mother, so he curses his mother back. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud)